The Monthly plan

After my three month planning session, I end up with a document that breaks down what I need to do in the month ahead. Of course, by the time the month starts, there's always changes to what need to happen in the near future. But the idea of the three month document is I don't get carried away with the day-to-day and make sure I remember the important stuff.

And because the real world gets in the way, the task list for the month is always longer than the expected task list that we drew up in the three month plan.

The monthly plan looks something like this:

Aim for the quarter

Restate the aim from the three month document so I don't forget it

Aim for the month

Which part of the three month aim is this month all about

Review of last month

Restate last month's task list, with items ticked off (or not).

A quick explanation of why things were not done.

Plan for this month

Week 1

• Task 1
• Task 2

Week 2

• Task 3

Week 3

• Task 4

Week 4

• Task 5
• Task 6

Take action: A month is a short time - drawing up a plan for the month is a simple way to get a grip on the weeks ahead.